Foundations Are Not Just Sources of Funding |
Feb 2, 2010 |
This is a major shift in your thinking, isn’t it? Foundations exist primarily to give away money, but it's time we realize they are not just sources of funding for us to enjoy.
- As many of you know from previous workshops, the role of a champion is to DO ministry along side us, in partnership with us. As Lois said in Coaching Your Champions, “I don’t want to just fund your ministry, I want to DO your ministry with you.”
- The organization’s role is to support the foundation in their effort to impact the cause and to be a platform for doing that. The foundation wants to impact a cause they are passionate about, so they look for a good partner to work through and with, to accomplish their mission. Your organization is that platform, complete with knowledge, expertise, facilities, staff, etc.
- Your foundation partner is actually the subject of God’s work – They are the champion He is looking to transform through your discipleship. It’s about how you can help coach and grow the foundation relative to your shared cause.
- TG grant writing is more about partnership than about proposals. TTF (traditional/transactional fundraising) focuses on the grant, writing the best proposal possible to win the favor of the foundation board. In TG, we are focusing on the right foundation and the work God is wanting to do through your partnership with them.
- This concept is further articulated in TG Principle #4: Champions connect with organizations for the purpose of enhancing their mutual impact on the cause, not primarily for the purpose of funding organizations to impact the cause on their own.
We need to realize that foundations are champions too and even though most of them see their role as funding organizations so the organization can impact the cause on their own, there is so much more foundations can do and even greater impact they can have.
Foundations need to be coached just like individuals do when it comes to becoming engaged in your shared cause. We need to equip them, provide hands on experiences for them and educate them around the cause. Organizations can encourage foundations to partner beyond the money. It will be exciting to see the transformation take place as they do good works and see the fruit of their labor!
If you'd like to strengthen your partnerships with foundations and move beyond the money, register for our March workshop entitled, “Grant Writing: It’s a partnership.”
